Signaling device



Feb. 12, 1957 F. I. FULLER ET AL SIGNALING DEVICE Filed March 23, 1954 AINVENTORS 52 /714 Fa/Aer y Momfqomery Cjfwezy ATTORNEY! SIGNALING DEVICE.

Frank I. Fuller, Menlo Park, and Montgomery C. Swezy, Palo Alto, Calif., assignors to Western Progressing Palo Alto, Calif a corporation of'Neva'da Application March23, 1954, Serifl No. 418,092.

7 Claims. (015116-63) This. invention relates generally. to: signaling devices and. more particularly to signaling, devices for use. on highways.

n thepast it hasbeen commonto employ 'road flares or warning: signs to minimize, accident-hazards whena truck-, car or other automotivewehicle is; stalled'or parked along a highway. Present devicesot this type frequently are not as effective; as desired, particularly becauseof lack-of proper visibility under various conditions.

In general it isan object of thepresentjnvention to provide an improvedhighway signalingdevicewhichcan be readily observed by the oncoming motorist.

Another object of the invention is to provide an-improved signaling-device whiclmwill be. efiectiveto attract attention both during the day and at night,

. Another object ofthe invention is;to;provide aihighway signaling device which can be: used, with or; without" a flare and to which a flare can be readily attached.

Another object'ot the invention 'is,to ;provide a;highway signaling, device which is adjustable; inheight: so that it can be elevated so that it can belreadily. se n byvall oncoming cars. 7

Another'object of the inventionis; to provide a highway signaling device which can be: folded into; a; compact package whennot in use.

Additional objects of the invention will appear: from the following description in which the preferred embodiment has been set forth indetail'in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing: I

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of our signaling:

device. 1

Figure 2 is a plan view or" the top portion ofour device.

Figure-3 is a-crosssectional view taken al'ongthe line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5*5 of Figure 3.

Figure6 .is an elevational view of another embodimentof our invention.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 77 of Figure 6.

' In general, the present inventionconsists of a collapsible telescoping tripod with a flare holder and a. revolving reflector adapted to be operated by the wind.

The embodiment of our device shown in Figure 1 consists of a tripod assembly 11 which forms a mounting for the flare holder 12 and the reflector assembly 13. This tripod assembly is of conventional construction and consists of three sections of tubing which are adapted to; telescope onev into the other. The upper section 14 and the middle section 16 are provided with split tapered collets 19, which are adapted to be clamped about-the sections 14. and 16 by the threaded and tapered ferrules 21. It is apparent, that by loosening the ferrules 21, the sections may be extended and then be locked in this position.

2,731,131 7 Patented Feb. 12, 1 957 Each of the tubular sections l l, '16"a-nd.17'- is provided with a pin 26 which extends throughcach of. the-sections (notzshown in sections I l-and '16) and is .riveted in place. These pins serve to prevent theupper sections from sliding through the larger bottom sections and also preventthe smallerv sections :from being. pulled out of the top .of the lower section.

The bottomsection 17 is.;provided with. a collapsible tripod arrangement consisting. ofthree legs 28pivotally attached by braces 29 to a collar 31 fixed to the lower extremity-=of the section-17z The upper portions of the legs 23are in turnpivotallyv attached to a collar 32 slidably mounted on section 17; his apparent that as the collar 3.2'is moved upwardly, the bottom extremities of the,legs 23 will be drawn inwardly so that when the collar 32 is in its uppermosaposition the legs 25 willbe. substantially parallel to the section 17 thereby forming a c tnpact unit,

A. flare holder 12 'is .adaptedrto be attached to the top section 14. In general the flare holder 12 consists of a spring-like member -of-the;conforma tion shownin Figures 33 and15. Thisspring-like member has a U-shaped flare holding portion 34,]a coil spring portion 36 and anoperating handle portion 37. The :U-s'haped'portion 34' is shaped toreceivethe;conventionalcylindrical red flare 38 used by highway patrols andthe railroads. Thus the fiarecan be rolled into the U -Shaped portion 34 and .it wilhbehel'din placebyihespringaction of this. U-shaped portion.

When thejretlector assembly 13 is not: in. place, the flare holder 12 may -be -slid down over the extension 14 m rby pr s na n hs ope ating handles? to increase the .diameter'of the coil spring 36 until it will easily slide over. the-section 14; When the flare holder 12 has been slid down to the properpositionon-section 14, it;is,rnerely necessary to release the-operating; handle 37; whereupon the .coil spring frictionally engages the section 14 and thus servesto holdthe fiare holder 12 in ahorizontal position asshown-in Figure 1.

The reflector assembly 13 consists of a pair-of substantially idfintical vanes 41 having outwardly curved portions 42. One of the vanes has a slot (not shown) equidistant from'the endsand extending from the bottom. of the vane to the middle of the vane, whereas the other vanehas; a slot (not shown) equidistant from the ends-extending from the top of the vane to the middle of the vane so that the two vanes 41 may be slipped together and fittedinto the. cylindrical hub 44 provided with four equally spaced slots 46. The hub 44 is journalledon a mounting 47 by suitable means such as a ball bearing 45. The lower portion ofthe mounting .47 is adapted to fit Within the inner circumference of tubular section 14 as shown in Figure l and. the intermediate portion of mounting 47 is provided with a flange .48 to fit over the top-of section 14.

The vanes 41 can be madeof any suitable material such as sheet aluminum and then if desired they may be coated withsuitable. substances to increase their notice ability. We have found it desirable to coat the vanesv with an orange-red fluorescent paint so as to attract the attention of the oncoming motorist in the daytime.

It has been found that this paint can be seen at great distances.

For nighttime use we have-found it desirable to place Scotch-Lite tape 49 on two of the vanes. Scotch Lite is a light reflecting material in sheet form manufacturedby Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. This Scotch-Lite tape is also of a reddish hue and has excellent light reflecting properties so that it will reflect the light of the flare if one is placed belowand-also the light of theheadlights of the oncoming-auto.

.It is also apparent that our device may be used with or without the flare holder 12. During the day the flare normally would not be needed and at night it is not absolutely necessary because the reflections from the headlights of the oncoming automobiles will give sufficient warning.

Operation and use of the device described above is as follows: When an accident has occurred on the highway or an automobile has stalled, our device is set up in the following manner. The'tripod assembly 11 is lifted upwardly and the legs 28 are allowed to spread so as to suitably support the tripod assembly.

If it is desired to use the flare holder 12, it is placed over the section 14 as hereinbefore described. The reflector 13 is then assembled as hereinbefore described and mounted on section 14.

After this has been done, the reflector 13 is elevated to a proper height by extending the sections 14 and 16. Normally this is done by unlocking the ferrules 21 and then sliding the sections 14 and 16 upwardly until the reflector is at a proper height and then the ferrules are again tightened to hold the sections 14 and 16 in the desired position. It has been found desirable to make the sections 14, 16 and 17 of suflicient length such as three feet, so that the reflector can be elevated to a position where it can be seen by an approaching car over a car that has already stopped in front of our signaling device. In this manner, it will be possible for oncoming motorists to be warned of impending danger in sufficient time so they can bring their automobile to stop even if they are traveling at a high rate of speed.

It is apparent that the rotating action of the reflector 13 will tend to attract the attention of the oncoming motorist and that the addition of orange-red fluorescent paint for daytime use and Scotch-Lite tape for nighttime use will serve to attract'greater attention.

The entire device hereinbefore described is collapsible and can be fitted into a compact package. The reflector assembly 13 can be removed merely by lifting the mounting 47 out of section 14. The reflector assembly can be disassembled by removing vanes 41 from the hub 44 and then they can be separated from each other and placed side by side so that they will take very little space. After removal of the reflector assembly 13, the flare holder 12 may be slipped off of the section 14. The sections 14, 16 and 17 may then be telescoped into each other and the tripod legs 28 may be collapsed to also form a very compact assembly. In this way, the entire'device may be packed in a very small box and carried about with ease. V V

Another embodiment of our invention is shown in Figures 6 and 7. In this embodiment the flare holder 51 is also a spring-like member which is inserted in'the tubular section 14 and whichserves to hold the U-shaped portion 52 in a substantially horizontal position. A V-shaped portion 53 on the lower extremity of the flare holder 51 is adapted to be inserted into the tubular section 14 and is of such a dimension that it will be stressed slightly upon insertion. In this way the portion 53 will engage the inner Walls of the tubular section 14 to thereby retain the flare holder 51 in a horizontal position.

It is apparentthat a conventional red flare 38 can be rolled into the U-shaped portion 52 to be frictionally engaged and held in any desired position. The flare 38 can be raised to an elevated position in the same manner that it was possible to raise the reflector to an elevated position. Thus, when it is desired to use only the fuse d and not the reflector, the reflector may be removecland the flare holder 51 inserted.

We claim:

1. Ina signaling device, a tripod, a plurality of vertical telescoping tubular sections mounted on said tripod, means for locking said telescoping sections at various positions, a reflector assembly rotatably mounted on the upper telescoping section and adapted to be rotated by the wind, said reflector assembly comprising a hub rotatably mounted on the upper telescoping section, a plurality of interlocking vanes mounted on said hub and adapted to be engaged by the wind, said vanes being painted with an orange-red fluorescent paint for daytime use and having only some of its vanes covered with light reflecting surfaces for nighttime use.

2. In a signaling device, a reflector assembly, means for positioning said reflector assembly at various elevations, said reflector assembly comprising a hub rotatably mounted on said means, a plurality of vertical slots in said hub, a pair of interlocking vanes adapted to be engaged by the wind mounted in said slots, said vanes being painted with an orange-red fluorescent paint for daytime use and having a light reflecting surface for nighttime use.

3. In a collapsible signaling device, a tripod, a plurality of vertical telescopic tubularsections mounted on said tripod, means for locking said telescopic sections at various positions, a flare holder mounted on the upper tubular section, and a flare mounted in said flare holder, said flare holder having a spring-like U-shaped portion at one end of the same adapted to engage the outer surface of said flare to suspend the flare in a substantially vertical position, and a second spring-like portion at the other end of said flare holder to frictionally engage the upper tubular section to support said flare holder on said tripod.

4. A device as in claim 3 wherein the second springlike portion includes a coil spring portion coaxially aligned on said upper tubular section and gripping the outer circumference of said upper tubular section, and a projecting arm comprising an extension of said coil spring portion for expanding said coil to facilitate removal of said flare holder from said upper tubular section.

5. A device as in claim 3 wherein the second springlike portion includes a V-shaped member for gripping the inner circumference of said upper tubular section.

6. In a collapsible signaling device, a tripod, a plurality of vertical telescoping tubular sections mounted on said tripod, means for locking said telescopic sections at various positions',.a flare holder, means for clamping said flare holder on said upper tubular section intermediate the upper and lower ends of said upper tubular section, a flare mounted in said flare holder, a reflector assembly rotatably mounted on top of the upper tubular section and adapted to be rotated by thewind, said flare holder including means for frictionally engaging said flare to suspend the same in a substantially vertical position to cause the flare to reflect light onto the rotating reflector assembly. 7. In a collapsible signaling device, a tripod, a plurality of vertical telescoping tubular sections mounted on said tripod, means for locking said telescopic sections at various positions, a hub rotatably mounted on top of the upper tubular section, a pair of vertical slots intersecting at right angles in said hub, a pair of substantially identi: cal vanes having outwardly curved portions at the outer ends of the same, said vanes being mounted in said vertical slots whereby one vane extends at right angles with respect to the other vane, one of said vanes having a slit equidistant from its ends and extending from the bottom of the vane to the middle of the vane, and the other of j said'vanes having a slit extending from the top of. the vane to the middle of the vane, said vanes being painted with an orange-red fluorescent paint for daytime 'use and having a light reflecting surface adapted for nighttime References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Wright Sept. 27, 1932 

